Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer keeps his cool during All-Star festivities

New York Yankees' Zoilo Almonte is tagged out at home plate by Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer trying to score on Vernon Wells' fly ball in the third inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, July 14, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

NEW YORK – Yes, that was six-time all-star Joe Mauer tucked in a quiet corner of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on Monday afternoon at Citi Field.

To Mauer’s right: A roped-off escalator to nowhere.

To Mauer’s left: Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz, who isn’t even pitching in Tuesday’s All-Star Game yet somehow drew a far larger crowd of media inquisitors during the 45-minute-long session.

At least there was a placard with Mauer’s name behind his interview area. Of course, someone with Major League Baseball had to go fetch one a few minutes into his session.

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When he and Glen Perkins first walked in, no one really knew where to send them.

“They forgot about us,” Perkins said. “They really did. We were looking around. I can understand them forgetting me, but you can’t forget Joe Mauer. I mean, are you kidding me?”

All of this came a few hours after the three-time American League batting champion, the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player and the man with baseball’s highest career batting average (.323) among active players was announced as his league’s No. 8 hitter for Tuesday’s game.

Yes, you read that right: Mauer is batting eighth in Jim Leyland’s lineup.

Just behind Baltimore’s Adam Jones, whose career on-base percentage is the same as Mauer’s batting average.

Ticked off, Joe?

“Yeah, I’m mad,” Mauer said with a laugh. “I’m mad.”

Best way to answer?

“Just get some hits,” said Mauer, a career .333 hitter (3 for 9) on the all-star stage.

Former Boston manager Terry Francona did the same thing to Mauer at the 2008 All-Star Game, batting him eighth as a first-time all-star starter. Mauer drew a walk and beat out an infield single before being removed for a pinch runner in the fifth.

In his other two starts, Mauer hit seventh in 2010 and third in 2009.

“You can throw the names in a jar and shuffle them up, and I think any of these lineups would be fine,” Mauer said. “Who are you going to bat eighth? Who are you going to bat first or second? It could really go any way.”

That was Mauer’s public stance. His friends knew better.

“I guarantee he’s going to get a hit,” Perkins said. “He seems to rise to the occasion pretty well. He did it in the World Baseball Classic. I’d imagine he’ll hit a ball or two hard (Tuesday).”

That seems a pretty safe bet, especially after Mauer was forced to field a series of loaded questions in his little corner of the rotunda.

For instance, now that he’s 30, when is going to give up catching?

“I think I’m being a pretty productive catcher,” he said, sounding not quite offended. “I love to catch. I love being back there, making those decisions for my team.”

Mauer, by the way, is on track to catch 104 games this year. That would be his most squatting since he averaged 110.5 games behind the plate in 2009 and 2010.

“It’s tough,” Mauer said.”You go up there, take a couple (foul) tips off the hands and can’t feel your hands when you grip the bat. You get beat up physically back there and mentally, too.”

There will come a time, but that time has not arrived just yet.

“I know eventually I won’t be able to catch a whole lot,” Mauer said, “but then again eventually I won’t be able to play this game. Right now I don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense for me to move positions.”

Two of his National League counterparts – young catchers with a combined four World Series titles in the past seven seasons -- would hate to see Mauer move off catcher any time soon.

“I’m a huge fan,” said Buster Posey, who has led the San Francisco Giants to a pair of championships in the past three years. “I wish I’d have the chance to sit down with him and just talk a little bit about baseball. We don’t even really see the other team while we’re here.”

Added Yadier Molina, starting catcher on St. Louis Cardinals teams that won it all in 2006 and 2011: “He’s one of the elite guys in the league. He’s fun to watch. Every time you see Mauer, you stop whatever you’re doing and watch him.”

Molina tried to break down video of Mauer’s swing in preparation for Puerto Rico’s matchup against Team USA at this year’s World Basebal Classic. Eventually he came up with the same game plan many others have tried.

“You just try to pitch him in the middle of the plate,” Molina said, “and pray.”

Posey, who starred at the same college (Florida State) Mauer turned down out of high school, had no idea Mauer had pushed ahead of Miguel Cabrera (.3210), Albert Pujols (.3209) and Ichiro Suzuki (.3208) for highest active career batting average.

Mauer, in fact, is almost two full points clear of Cabrera at .3227.

Posey, a career .316 hitter, would be seventh on the list if he had another 1,400 plate appearances to reach the 3,000 cutoff.

“That tells you what kind of focus he has to have,” Posey said. “As a catcher you’re going to get nicked up. You’re going to take balls off the hands, off the knees, you’re going to be fatigued. So you really have to go up and give everything for each at-bat. You can’t take an at-bat off.”

Especially if some rival manager bats you eighth in an All-Star Game.

Leave it to Detroit Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter, Mauer’s former Twins teammate, to put things in proper perspective. Told it almost seemed as if Mauer was being overlooked, Hunter shook his head.

“No, he’s not overlooked,” he said. “Trust me. We all know he’s definitely one of the best hitters in the game. He’s our secret weapon.”